The present invention relates to a disk cartridge including a disk medium capable of recording or reproducing information, more particularly to a disk cartridge in which a door for opening or closing an opening portion for inserting a head thereto is formed as a rotating type one and the door is provided with a notch for passing a projected streak portion for determining opening of the door on the side of a disk drive only when the rotated door reaches a predetermined rotational angle whereby a wide opening portion is provided and the closed door and parts provided at inside of the disk drive can be prevented from colliding with each other.
Further, the present invention relates to a door opening and closing mechanism of a disk cartridge for opening and closing a door of the disk cartridge including a record medium in a disk-like shape, and a disk drive using thereof, more particularly to a door opening and closing mechanism of a disk cartridge in which a door can be opened and closed stably according to the opening of the door by engaging an engaging pin with a side face of the rotating type door of the disk cartridge and moving the engaging pin along a predetermined track in accordance with the advance of the disk cartridge, and a disk drive using thereof.
There is known a conventional disk cartridge for recording information as shown in, for example, FIGS. 24A and 24B. The disk cartridge 101 is an attachable and detachable cartridge (removable cartridge) containing a record medium in a disk-like shape having a large information capacity used in, for example, an information processing apparatus and FIGS. 24A and 24B show the removable hard disk.
As shown in FIG. 25, according to the conventional disk cartridge 101, a cartridge upper shell 109 and a cartridge lower shell 108 are fastened by fixing screws 112 in a state where they overlap each other. There are contained, at inside thereof, a disk 102 having information recording faces on both upper and lower faces 102a and 102b thereof and a clamp member 103 attached to the center of the disk 102. As base material of the disk 102, aluminum or glass is generally used.
The clamp member 103 is constituted by a pair of upper and lower pinching plates 104 and 105 and a fixing screw 106 for fastening these. The two pinching plates 104 and 105 pinch the disk 102 from above and from below and are fastened by the fixing screw 106 whereby a surrounding of a center hole 107 of the disk 102 is pinched by the pinching plates 104 and 105. The disk 102 is rotatably contained at inside of the disk cartridge 101.
Further, one side face of the conventional disk cartridge 101 is provided with an opening portion 107 for allowing a recording or reproducing head to be inserted thereinto. There are provided a slide shutter 110 for closing the opening portion 107 to prevent dust and dirt from being entrapped when the disk cartridge 101 is not used, and a return spring 111 for automatically closing the opened side shutter 110.
When signals are recorded to or reproduced from the disk cartridge 101, the disk cartridge 101 is mounted in a disk drive (not illustrated). At this occasion, the slide shutter 110 is slid against urging force of the return spring 111 and then the opening portion 107 is opened. When the disk cartridge 101 is mounted, the disk 102 is fixed to a shaft of a spindle motor of the disk drive by a magnet or the like and driven to rotate, and then a pair of recording/reproducing heads are inserted from the opening portion 107 and arranged opposedly to both upper and lower faces of the disk 102 so that recording or reproducing is carried out.
However, according to the disk cartridge 101 having the slide shutter 110 shown in FIG. 25, there is a physical restriction in a width dimension of the opening portion 107 which emerges after the slide shutter 110 has finished sliding. That is, the slide shutter 110 is constituted so as to slide and to move at the side face of the disk cartridge 101 and therefore, a lateral width of the slide shutter 110 must be constituted to be equal to or smaller than xc2xd of a lateral width of the disk cartridge 101 and accordingly, the width of the opening portion 107 is equal to or smaller than xc2xd of the lateral width of the cartridge.
In this way, according to the conventional disk cartridge 101, the width of the opening portion 107 cannot be set widely relative to the lateral width of the cartridge main body and therefore, it is not suitable for a drive apparatus having a pivoting type actuator in which a recording/reproducing head constitutes a movement locus in a fan-like shape as in a removable hard disk.
Further, in the case of the conventional disk cartridge 101, when an abnormality is caused in a shutter opening and closing mechanism at inside of the apparatus and the disk cartridge 101 is inserted into the disk drive in a state in which the slide shutter 110 stays to be closed, the slide shutter 110 collides with main parts such as a lamp and a head arranged at inside of the apparatus and depending on cases, there is a fear of destruction of these parts and out of function thereof.
Further, when in the midst of inserting or in the midst of discharging the disk cartridge 101, the shutter opening and closing mechanism on the side of the disk drive and the slide shutter 110 are inadvertently disengaged, there is a fear of a collision of the slide shutter 110 closed by the return spring 111 with a lamp or a head and an occurrence of destruction or the like.
The present invention has resolved the above-described problems and proposes a disk cartridge capable of firmly providing a wide opening portion and capable of preventing a door of a disk cartridge and parts at inside of a disk drive from colliding with each other.
Further, the present invention proposes a door opening and closing mechanism of a disk cartridge capable of firmly providing a wide head insertion slot and capable of stably opening and closing a door of a disk cartridge, and a disk drive using thereof.
In order to resolve the above-described problems, according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a disk cartridge comprising cartridge shells containing a disk medium and being mounted in a disk drive to record or reproduce signals, characterized in that the disk cartridge is provided with an opening portion for allowing a head for recording the signal on the disk cartridge medium or reproducing it from the disk cartridge medium to be inserted, and a rotating type door for opening or closing the opening portion, wherein the door is provided with a notch for permitting a projected streak portion for determining opening or closing of the door on a side of the disk drive to be entered therein only when the rotated door reaches a predetermined rotational angle.
In mounting the disk cartridge to the disk drive, when the door is properly rotated and the opening portion is opened, the projected streak portion on the side of the disk drive enters in the notch and the disk cartridge can be mounted. Further, a head and the like are inserted from the opening portion to inside of the cartridge so that the signal is recorded or reproduced.
In the meantime, in mounting the disk cartridge to the disk drive, when the door is not rotated and the opening portion is not opened by some cause, the door and the projected streak portion are brought into contact with each other and the disk cartridge cannot be inserted further.
Therefore, since the rotating type door is used in the present invention, in comparison with the case of using a slide shutter, the opening portion can be provided widely, which is preferable in a drive apparatus having a pivoting type actuator in which a recording/reproducing head constitutes a movement locus in a fan-like shape as in a removable hard disk.
Further, in mounting the disk cartridge, when the door is not opened by some cause, the projected portion on the side of the disk drive cannot be entered in the notch and accordingly, mounting of the disk cartridge is hampered and there is achieved an effect in which destruction of inner parts such as a head, a lamp can be prevented beforehand or the like.
Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door opening and closing mechanism of a disk cartridge for opening and closing a rotating type door attached to an opening portion of the disk cartridge, characterized in that an engaging pin is movably provided with a side wall opposed to a side face of the disk cartridge and that in accordance with advancing of the disk cartridge, the engaging pin is moved on a predetermined track while engaging with at least one side face of the door to rotate the door and open the opening portion.
When the disk cartridge is inserted into the apparatus, firstly, the engaging pin is engaged with the at least one side face of the door. Thereafter, the engaging pin is moved along the predetermined track so that the door is rotated until the disk cartridge reaches a predetermined mounting position and the opening portion is opened.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the door is rotated and the opening portion is opened by following the disk cartridge and therefore, in comparison with a door opening and closing mechanism of sliding a slide shutter, ahead insertion slot can be provided widely, which is preferable also in respect of a drive apparatus having a pivoting type actuator in which a recording/reproducing head constitutes a movement locus in a fan-like shape as in a removable hard disk. Further, the door is rotated by utilizing the side face thereof and accordingly, the door can be opened stably.
Further, a disk drive according to the present invention is featured in providing a projected streak portion for determining opening or closing of a door, which enters in a notch installed at the door only when the rotated door reaches a predetermined rotational angle.
In mounting the disk cartridge to an apparatus, when the door is properly rotated and the opening portion is opened, the projected streak portion of the door opening and closing mechanism enters in the notch and the disk cartridge can be mounted.
In the meantime, in mounting the disk cartridge to an apparatus, when the door is not rotated and the opening portion is not opened by some cause, the door and the projected streak portion are brought into contact with each other and the disk cartridge cannot be mounted.
Therefore, according to the present invention, when the door is not opened by some cause in mounting the disk cartridge, the projected streak portion of the door opening and closing mechanism cannot enter in the notch of the door and accordingly, mounting of the disk cartridge is hampered and there is achieved an effect in which destruction of inner parts of the apparatus can be prevented beforehand or the like.